PEMPHIS ACIDULA – PEARLS IN THE TROPICS

Pemphis acidula in Cascade Style. Budi Sulistyo Collection. The Pemphis can be trained into all bonsai styles and sizes.

Pemphis is a shrub living near the sea shore of Indonesian, Philippine and Pacific archipdagoes It is believed to grow from the island of Okinawa down to the northern coast of the Australian continent In any case, the rocky shore is its homeland.

The Pemphis has small oval leaves with pointed tips and small white flowers. Many tiny seeds are hidden inside the berries. Then the berries ripen, usually within six weeks, they open and throw out all of the tiny seeds. Helped by strong winds near the sea, the seeds are scattered Seeds that land in normal soil will tend to rot and die Some may rest between rocks or in rock openings. Aided by regular sea breezes and light ocean spray these seeds will grow. Some others that fall in the sand and receive regular watering will also grow well. The Pemphis requires alternating conditions of a wet and dry environment. The hard fibrous seed will soften in these conditions enabling it to sprout. Its roots need the same conditions Water and good drainage are essential Because of the seeds’ strong fibrous coats, those which fall into the ocean can safely float for weeks until they reach the shore, sometimes a great distance from their
origin.

Bonsai lovers in Indonesia started working with Pemphis in the 1980s, but surdy it had been trained by Japanese or Taiwanese bonsai artists long before as bantige from the Philippines. I once saw a Pemphis on the cover of a bonsai album and was impressed, not only by the beauty of its small leaves, but its naturally strong wood which does not decay in the tropical setting It is therefore excellent for jin and shari elements in bonsai design.

Thousands of islands in Indonesia, mostly formed from volcanic materials and rock, are the ideal hunting grounds for wild Pemphis, locally known as santigi in Indonesia.

Newly collected Pemphis from the wild are usually planted in pure volcanic sand. They are placed in the shade for several weeks, and sometimes they are covered with transparent plastic bags to maintain high humidity. Showering the plants with water several times a day will increase the probability of the newly collected and planted Pemphis to survive when new buds are strong the Pemphis plants can be moved to a sunnier location. This is also the time to fertilize and to spray the plants with salt water. The salt water can be taken from the sea or can be a solution of tap water and salt from the kitchen. This will make the tree stronger and healthier although the plants will survive without using salt water.

Once the trees are strong and healthy it is time to start wiring and shaping them into bonsai It usually takes only six months to a year to develop a nice Pemphis bonsai from good collected stock. This is when we can move the collected Pemphis into bonsai pots. The sand must be washed away from the root systems by using a high pressure hose spray Care must be taken to avoid damaging the finer roots too much. The bonsai mix can be 75% sand to 25% humus I always add a dry pesticide in the soil I use Fumdan, a purple granulated pesticide, to kill nematodes.

Pemphis hunting grounds

Pemphis grow on rocky shorelines.

Pemphis grow in rock crevices.

Pemphis grow in sand

Collected Pemphis

Scale attaches on underside of Pemphis leaves

Larva feeds on Pemphis branches

The Pemphis is a greedy plant As a bonsai, it needs a lot of sun, good air circulation and regular fertilizing. They also require frequent spraying of insecticide. Some caterpillars will eat the leaves Some tiny white or yellow bugs will attach themselves on the back sides of leaves and suck the liquid, making the leaves dry and causing branch die back. A kind of wasp will lay eggs in the wood of the branch or twig, so that the larvae will eat the wood inside and kill the branch. These are only some of the pests which
make routine spraying with insecticide a must.

The Pemphis tolerates dirty water from a ditch or swampy area.

Pemphis can be trained into various bonsai styles and sizes. The tiny leaves are well suited for small size bonsai, and the tree’s ability to grow up to three meters in the wild make them perfect for yamadori specimen bonsai. Some Pemphis in nature display dead wood that can be present in even in harsh wet weather, enabling us to create designs with jin and shari. Pemphis bonsai are really breathtaking It is not an exaggeration when I refer to the Pemphis acidula as “the pearl of the tropics.”

Budi Sulistyo of Jakarta, Indonesia first began bonsai in 1976 and first begun to teach the art in 1984. He gives seminars and teaches in classes and workshops throughout his country and on national television. As the first Indonesian to win an international award (International Bonsai Exhibition in Osaka, Japan) and as the author of the Indonesian language book "Bonsai: he is well known and respected in the bonsai community.

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Very interesting. I had not heard of this plant before. I am growing more interested in tropical species, although I’ll have to do some experimenting to see if I can get the tropical species to grow in temperate climate of South Carolina. None the less, this was a very good article, and even if I can’t get them to grow here I can always look to the Pemphis Acidula as a natural kind of inspiration.

I’m from Germany and I enjoyed your article too, although its two years ago. Do you have any idea where I can get seeds or plants of this plant. I would realy like to grow it inside my house. Do you see a chance for this?